Destinies
by AndIllWriteYouATragedy
Summary: Merlin has another destiny he needs to fulfill, and it's surprisingly difficult to do.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Merlin has another destiny he needs to fulfill, and it's surprisingly difficult to do.**

**Warnings and Rating: Warnings and rating will vary by chapter. This chapter isn't bad at all. No warnings, rated appropriate for basically all ages. I'll put the story as a permanent T just to be on the safe side, because I have a thing for whump and it's probably going to be making a pretty constant appearance. **

**A/N: I know I have a couple other multi-chapter stories going on (both for different fandoms, PotC and Sherlock), but those are kind of stuck. I debated starting this while those were still there, but I really wanted to give this one a shot. Let me know how you feel about it! Enjoy!**

**- Yerrie**

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><p>"Merlin, you have come to me asking for help. You must listen to me this time, or you will fail." Kilgarrah warned, and Merlin stared at him blankly.<p>

"This prophecy doesn't make any sense." Merlin stammered, and Kilgarrah sighed lightly.

"It is not a prophecy, Merlin. It is a destiny, and you must fulfill it. If you do not fulfill this, you can not protect Arthur fully, for you will not understand what it is to care for someone who completely needs you, nor will you have someone to care for and protect Arthur should you be absent or incapacitated." Kilgarrah explained, and Merlin looked down at the ground.

"Where am I supposed to find a woman willing to have a child with me?" he asked, and Kilgarrah smiled.

"You're not. I can help you with that. There's a spell that will allow you and another person to create a child of magic, be that person female or otherwise." Kilgarrah told Merlin. Merlin looked back up with surprise.

"What do you mean?" Merlin asked quietly, and Kilgarrah turned his gaze up to the stars. Merlin followed suit.

"Destinies are written in the stars." Kilgarrah commented, deliberately not answering Merlin. "You and Arthur are two sides of the same coin, and destined to be forever intertwined."

"So, Arthur and I must have a child." Merlin summarized, and Kilgarrah returned his attention to Merlin. Merlin continued to stare up at the dark sky. "Is there any way I can do this without Arthur knowing?"

"Why wouldn't you want Arthur to know he has a child?" Kilgarrah asked, genuinely confused. Merlin met the Great Dragon's eyes.

"It's best for the whole of the kingdom if nobody except the two of us knows that Arthur has a child with a servant." Merlin's eyes were filled with a steely resolve. "Can we do this without Arthur knowing?"

"Yes, we can." Kilgarrah lowered his head to better meet the Dragonlord's eyes. "You must understand that which you are doing. You must look after this child and raise it by yourself. Everything will unfold in time."

"Will this child be able to take care of Arthur should I be...absent?" Merlin asked, and Kilgarrah nodded.

"No matter where you shall be, the child will be able to care for the mortal king." Kilgarrah promised, and Merlin took a deep breath.

"I'll do this." Merlin closed his eyes and turned his face down. "I promise to care for and raise this child."

"Repeat after me, Merlin." Kilgarrah instructed before reciting a stream of Latin. Merlin repeated the words as they were spoken, and, as they finished, Kilgarrah breathed a hellish golden fire over the sorceror. Merlin tilted his head up into the flames and inhaled deeply.

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><p>"Merlin, what is the meaning of this?" Gaius demanded as soon as Merlin entered the room, clutching a bawling infant.<p>

"This, Gaius, is Aylwin." Merlin called over the din. "I need to feed him."

Gaius took the crying child from Merlin, and Merlin immediately ran to the cabinet. He held a squash in his hand and used a quick spell to purée it into a liquid. He sent it into a wide test tube and brought it to the baby.

Merlin took the baby back and began feeding him. Gaius looked on in shock. "Merlin, whose child is this?"

"Uhh. Mine." Merlin didn't look up at Gaius' face. He was worried about what he might find there.

"How is this your child, Merlin?" Gaius asked quietly, and Merlin held Aylwin a little bit tighter.

"He was born of magic, Gaius. He's a part of my destiny. He's my child." Merlin seemed to want to finish talking about it there. Gaius looked down at the blue-eyed child curiously.

"Who is the other parent of this child?" Gaius asked. Merlin shook his head.

"He is my child. The other...parts of him don't matter. He's going to be raised by me alone." Merlin set the test tube aside and held his son close. "I'm going to take care of him."

"Do you know what you're doing, Merlin?" Gaius sat down on the bench, and Merlin sat beside him.

"Yes, I do." Merlin said confidently. Gaius hesitated, and smiled.

"Can I see him?" Gaius asked, holding out his hands. Merlin smiled back and gave Aylwin to Gaius.

"He's already displaying magic." Merlin told Gaius softly. "He stopped me from tripping before. It's phenomenal, and it's strong."

"He looks a lot like you." Gaius commented, and Merlin grinned.

"Yeah, he does." Merlin looked down into the round face of the infant. His bright blue eyes were closed, and he was breathing steadily. "Save for the hair."

Gaius touched the thin, curly strands of blonde hair on the child's head and looked up at Merlin. "He was born of you and Arthur, wasn't he?"

"Not of the way you may be thinking, Gaius." Merlin kept his eyes on Aylwin. "The Great Dragon created him of me and Arthur. We're not together in the way you may be thinking of. I am just a servant." Merlin sighed quietly. "But Arthur doesn't know, and we're keeping it this way. This child is a perfect product, since Arthur and I are two sides of the same coin. Destined."

Gaius recognized that Merlin wasn't really talking to him anymore, but mostly to himself. He looked back down at the sleeping infant.

"Arthur won't know, Gaius. You have to keep this a secret." Merlin begged. "Please, Gaius."

"Of course, Merlin. I won't tell a soul." Gaius gave Aylwin back to Merlin and stood up. "I have to make my rounds. Will you and..."

"Aylwin." Merlin reminded him, standing up and clutching the child close to his chest. Gaius nodded.

"Aylwin. Will you and Aylwin be okay here by yourselves?" Gaius asked, concern evident in his voice. Merlin smiled at him.

"Yes, we'll be fine." Merlin nodded and went into his bedroom with his son, talking to him in low tones. Gaius just shook his head, trying to clear it of the life-changing confusion that had just came into it, and grabbed his bag. He left his chambers with a final look at the door the new father and son had disappeared through.

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><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed that! Let me know how you feel about it. I'm feeling pretty good about the future of this story.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the long wait. I have no excuse except for life. Forgive me.**

**I don't own anything, not that that helps anything legally. I'm also my own editor and everything, so any problems are mine.**

**'So, without further gilding the lily and with no more ado, I give to you,' the story!**

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><p>Merlin had fashioned himself something of a leather strap to keep Aylwin close to him while he worked. Though he received odd looks as he did his chores, nobody stopped him or asked a question, assuming it was a duty of his to watch this child; they assumed it was a visitor's child, or something of that sort. Aylwin remained blessedly quiet. Of course, the first person to ask him a question was the king Arthur.<p>

"What the hell have you got on your back, Merlin?" Arthur asked loudly, standing over Merlin while the servant was on his hands and knees, scrubbing the floor of the king's chambers. Merlin sighed and stood up.

"It's a child, Arthur. Surely even you can see that." Merlin answered, reaching around for the strap and pulling it to the front of his body. He lifted Aylwin from the strap and held him close, feeling protective.

"Yes, but whose child is it, Merlin?" Arthur was sounding exasperated. Merlin fought the urge to make a face.

"Mine, Arthur." Merlin looked down at the bucket and cloth, then back up to Arthur. "Can I get back to work now?"

"No, you may not!" Arthur watched the child with new interest. "How on earth did you end up with a child?"

"Would you like me to explain it to you, sire?" Merlin asked sarcastically, hoping that Arthur didn't say yes. Luckily enough, Arthur just frowned.

"No, I don't need that." Arthur snapped back. "And where's it's mother?"

"The mother is..." Merlin scrambled for an excuse. "The mother is dead. She died in childbirth."

"Oh." Arthur kept his eyes on the child, refusing to look up at Merlin. "I'm... sorry."

"Don't worry. He'll be raised fairly." Merlin told him softly. Arthur nodded.

"Make sure he bears no guilt over his mother's death." Arthur instructed. He held his hands out awkwardly. "...May I, uhh-"

"Yes, of course." Merlin moved Aylwin from his arms to Arthur's. "His name is Aylwin."

Arthur frowned at Merlin before returning his attention to the child he was holding. "That's a mouthful, Merlin. No child can say that."

"Well, it's his name. He only gets one." Merlin replied, watching how his son reacted to the hold of his other father. Aylwin had responded predictably, making a joy-filled noise and pressing his face to Arthur's chest. He reached out with one small hand and grabbed at Arthur's jaw.

"Winnie." Arthur said suddenly, startling Merlin out of the trance he had entered watching Aylwin. "I'll call him Winnie. He'll be able to say that much easier than the dreadful name you chose for him."

"Aylwin is a good name, and he's going to be a good man." Merlin argued. Arthur shrugged.

"We'll call him Aylwin when he becomes a man, then." Arthur kept his eyes on the child. "For now, he's Winnie."

"Yes, fine, sire. He's Winnie." Merlin held his hands out to take the child back. Arthur hesitated, not wanting to give the child back for reasons unknown to him, but he did return him nonetheless. Merlin settled the child back into the strap and returned the strap to his back. "Shall I return to work?"

Arthur didn't answer at first, seemingly thinking. Aylwin peered curiously over Merlin's shoulder, eyes far too intelligent for such a young child. Finally, Arthur did speak.

"I don't have anything to do right now. Isn't that right, Merlin?" Arthur asked. Merlin was surprised by the sudden change in the direction of the conversation, but he didn't show it.

"No, sire, you're supposed to practice with Gwaine soon, on the sword." Merlin reminded him. Arthur frowned slightly.

"I can do that tomorrow." Arthur was suddenly fascinated by the lantern holder on the solid stone wall. "Would you like me to watch over Winnie while you worked?"

Merlin stared at Arthur for a long moment in blank shock. Arthur just stared back, but his eyes darted from Merlin to Aylwin and back again.

"Why?" Merlin finally managed to say. Arthur straightened his shoulders.

"Because no child should have to be strapped to a servant who is not it's mother." Arthur answered firmly. Merlin caved and made a face.

"Aylwin doesn't have a mother, so I'm the best he's got." Merlin reminded him. Arthur shook his head.

"That's not what I meant. I just..." Arthur couldn't seem to find words for why he wanted to care for the child. The air inside the castle was cold, the stone resisting heat and the fire of the lanterns helping very little in keeping anyone warm. He felt the strongest, strangest urge to hold the child close and never let go. "It'll be good practice."

Merlin nodded, knowing not to push it any further. "Yes, fine."

Arthur watched in silence as Merlin undid the strap, carefully lifting his son from it and passing both the child and the leather to Arthur.

"You're sure you can handle this?" Merlin asked, feeling more than a bit worried. Arthur slung the strap over one shoulder and held the child close in both arms.

"Yes, Merlin, I'm sure." Arthur assured him. "I'll return him to you by nightfall, assuming you've finished."

"Thank you, Arthur." Merlin looked down at Aylwin, bending slightly so his face was level with the child's. "Behave for Arthur."

The child stared at Merlin, identical blue eyes locked together. The child reached out and touched his face, and Merlin felt reassured that all his secrets would be safe that day. Merlin stood up straight, and Aylwin moved his hand from Merlin's face to Arthur's shirt.  
>"Back to work, then." Arthur ordered half-heartedly before leaving, child held firmly against his chest.<p> 


End file.
